Isylum
by TahnethTheWolf
Summary: Rae Logan's Mephiles/Dark have gone crazy. They are sent to an insane isylum and there, Dark meets Tahneth, an OC of mine, and is fascinated by her past.
1. Chapter 1

This is the chapter of my first fic that isn't a one shot, I'm hoping it'll span for a while. Not so much of a chapter as it is a preview of what's coming.

It's about one of my OCs(try to guess who) and, looking at the title, you can pretty much tell what it's about... kinda.  
Your'e thinking they're gunna break out, huh? I can't tell you if it'll happen or not. I'm planning on updating it every other week, to make you wait, ha ha lolz.

In case you were wondering, the _it_ is RaeLogan's Mephiles/Dark. I have her permission to use him and mess with Mephie... cuz every likes to angstify Mephy's life.

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* * *

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I never did like medicine, medicine stops the pain, I think. I think I wanted the pain, or whatever it is that I'm feeling.

The nurse stepped towards me, needle in hand, while it watched in horror.

_Why did they think something was wrong with me? I saw some pretty horrific and bizzare things, but I wasn't crazy... was I? _I snarled and spit flew from my mouth, claws clenched to the floor and walls. _You know, this kind of hurts, too._

I dug my claws further into my corner, _What am I doing? I don't need to endanger myself anymore, I already can't go outside. How I long to be outside._ I slightly released my grip, but kept my fangs beared. The nurse wasn't suprised, _of course not,_ she was the nurse that delt with me regularly. _What's her name? I should know, I've heard it before._

It was now that I noticed I had let go of my surroundings almost entirely, I could see the dumb expression on my face in the reflection on the needle. _The needle!_ I showed my large teeth once again and the nurse backed down.

"I'll just have to try again later." I heard her mumble as she set the syringe on the cart to her right. _I guess I should stop her and accept the medicine. This is the last time I won't accept it. I said that yesterday, didn't I?_

I gave up on my internal battle and went back to my room, well, our room. I looked across the white floor at... it.

It shivered, like it would on a cold, winter day. It stared off into the distance, as the nurse left and bolted the door.

_What is it?_ I've been wondering that since it was brought in here, my first roommate, and I have no idea what it could be.

It turned it's head to face me, I could see fear, and_... curiosity?_ I could also see my reflection, gleaming off his pale red and green eyes. After staring at it for a mere second or so, its eyes grew into a deeper red, the corners of his mouth lifted into an evil grin, and instead of fear I saw hatred... and power.

Untill now, the only reason that I saw for him to be here was that he was so... detached from the world. Now, now I saw every reason he was here. He had had fits of rage and, "AHHHH!" I howled. I rolled on the floor as darkness surrounded my mind.

_What's going on!_ I had no idea what was happening, clenching my eyes shut didn't help, I still saw that face. Those eyes burrowed into my mind and brought back memories I'd pushed aside, memories of the things that got me here. I also saw things that weren't mine, I saw blue claws covered in blood, I wasn't me. Right before I let out another yowl, the pain stopped. It didn't slowly die out, it just stopped.

"Now that the introductions have been made," It said, "that is, I know why your'e here and, if your'e as smart as I think you are, you know why I'm here."

_What just happened, I guess that thing did it._ I sat up as it began to speak again.

"You need not know my name, only," It stopped, "I guess you should have something to refer to me as..." It mumbled and began pacing, I don't think I was afraid, just... uncertain. "Why not, Dark? I've been called Dark before, so why not now?" He smiled again, an unnatural smile. The kind of smile only those who enjoy the pain of others could smile.

For the first time in years, I felt fear. Not because he smiled that way, because it felt like if I hung around him, I'd be smiling just like that. But I had no choice, he was going to be staying here, and so was I.

* * *

SUSPENSE AND ANGST that pretty much sums up this fic... everybody loves angst.


	2. Remembering

I sat in the corner, staring up at it like a small child.

It... _he?_ paced back and forth in the room, looking in the corners, tapping the door and walls. He made it look like he was clausterphobic or something... _probably just a show for the video cameras_.

It's not like I could actually figure out what he was doing, every time I tried to read him, I got that sudden pain in my mind. _Has he shared a mind with someone else before?_ I'd learned not to writhe in pain every time he did that, it might atract the attention of the nurses.

Then they might take him away, put him in another room. For some odd reason, I didn't want him to leave, I should have... but I didn't.

_One more time_. I pressed my mind to his, and tried to see through his sheild.

"Would you quit that!?" he turned on his hospital socks and nearly tripped from the friction of the grips on the bottom.

_He let his guard down!_ I hurried to gather all the information I could, feelings, memories... _relationships?_ I had about two seconds of time to wonder before he shot me out again. He quickly walked across the room to me and bent forward so that I could smell the rotten scent of his breath.

"Why do you continue this," he stood up straight and walked over to _his_ corner and slumped down to the ground, "if it continues to hurt you and provide you with little information?"

For the first time, I had the... sense to respond by talking, instead of trying it again. "I-", I paused, _Why did I keep trying?_, "I'm not entirely sure... I guess I'd like to know the history of my first roommate." I could tell that my face had curled into a semi-smug smile, it was also half puzzled.

"Your first rooommate?" He brought his clawed crystal hand up to his face and rubbed his chin.

"Well, sort of." I had a strange urge to open up to him, he seemed willing to take the information. _Why did you tell him that? Now you have no choice but to tell him about it!_

"Sort of? What exactly would one mean in saying 'sort of'?" He dropped his hand to his hospital shorts and clenched the corners, only slightly tearing them.

For a moment I didn't say anything, _What would he think?... More importantly, why did I care?_ I paused a moment more, I began speaking when he leaned forward, showing true interest in what I had to say. "I had a roommate before, about two years ago, I'm suprised that memory didn't show up when you _invaded my mind_." I clenched my teeth on the the last few words, to emphasize how much I disliked that disrespect for one's mind.

"You did the same to me. Didn't you? Besides, I didn't see that or _those_ memories because I was trying to look further back. Your childhood and such, things from further back, things that got you locked up in such a high security joint like this." He was astoundingly polite, especially for his situation and... condition.

"There's no point in me resisting to tell you now, is there? You'll just sort through my memories untill you find it, won't you?"

"But of course." He said, so nonchalantly that I thought he wasn't serious, then I remembered the things he brought to my attention when I first 'met' him. The claws, blood, depression, even... happiness. I only saw it for a brief second, but it was enough for me to know it was there. _Was it happiness of the killing, or blood... or friends?_

"To make a rather long story short-"

"No, tell me the details. Otherwise I will find the details in your mind and watch them playout. I'll see them as a movie, you, however, will relive them night after night as nightmares." He paused, smiling, "Which would you prefer? Both are unpleasant enough." The smile returned to his face and lingered there untill he grew unpatient and began glaring at me, I could tell he was about to watch little snipets to persuade me.

"Maybe I want the 'unpleasant' memories." I blurted out in the most pretentious tone I could manage at the moment.

"Is that so young...", He stopped, "What is your name young... What are you?" He seemed baffled by his lack of knowledge about me. Sure he'd seen some of my worst and most horrifying memories, but he didn't know my name, what I was.

I laughed a little. "My name is Tahneth, and I'm a wolf." I stared at him emptily, "Jackass." I muttered. _Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Hmm... oh, well. What's said is said._ It seemed that I was quite lucky that his hearing seemed to be less sensitive than mine.

"So, _Tahneth,_", he spat the word, _I guess he had heard_, "I grow impatient, tell me this story of your previous... was he your _friend_?" He seemed disgusted by the innocent term.

"I guess you could say that. He was nearly identical to me, so I could communicate with him on the same level. Everyone else is afraid of us, just because we're... different. Maybe that's why I'm not as afraid of you as you seem to want me to, we both have something about us that's different from everyone else. You have crystals and red scleras, I'm all white and have red irises."

He took this into consideration. "Continue, continue." He waved his hand in a rather small motion.

"Do you really _need_ me to tell you?" I really didn't want to tell him, well, part of me wanted to tell him. Like he deserved to know, the other part said to be more cautious.

"'I guess I'd like to know the history of my first roommate'" He said, quoting me and tilting his head down so that his eyes seemed much bigger than they were.

"It all started when I first came here, for reasons you already know. I was in section B of wing A, pretty low security..."


	3. Tobi

"It all started when I first came here, for reasons you already know. I was in section B of wing A, pretty low security. One day, while sitting in my 'room', my nurse opened the door and I saw she was holding the hand of a young white wolf. Much like myself, he was all white. He looked less than white, due to the blue hospital garbs, and had red irises _and_ red pupils."

"How... unique." Dark interrupted. I didn't mind too much, I kind of want his input.

"The nurse walked over to me, wolf in tow. I was sitting in the corner, much like I am now, and she knelt down to be at my eye level. He knelt next to her, she leaned towards me and set his hand in mine, 'Tahneth, this is Tobi. I thought you might like a roommate, and Tobi needs a friend to help him out.' My suspicions were right, he _was_ blind, not terribley suprising. The warmth of his hand and the nurse's made me flinch. I also saw that he had flinched, I was probably quite a bit colder than he was. The nurse left and I heard the small click of the door's small lock turning."

"Such a low amount of secruity for a psych ward." He commented.

"A wing is for low priority containment. In this wing, G I think, they very rarely put two people in the same room. They could be low on space... and I've remained fairley calm the past while-"

"Calm? How could they consider you 'calm' after whatever it was that you did in wing A. And also after that wonderful show earlier. By the way, I must say, a rather large 'bravo' is deserved on your part."

"You saw that?" _Well, duh. He was sitting there the whole time._

"It was magnificent. No matter what reasoning I tried, they still forced me to take take that damn anti-phsychotic." I was suprised by the fact that he didn't attack them, with those claws, he could destroy just about anything. My memory flipped back to that scene, I felt dizzy thinking about it, those blood-covered claws. _His claws._

"Reasoning?" I asked.

"Yes, I am a rather 'calm' person... generally. Enough about me, continue on with your roommate story."

_Damn, I thought he forgot._ "Okay, I waaaas... Oh, yeah," He stared at me impatiently, twitching his crystal-tipped ear every now and then.

"The nurse left the room and Tobi turned to face me. Now that I could really look at him without the nurse staring at me, I could see that he had a very girlish face, framed by shaggy white hair and grey bangs, the right bang longer than the left. My thoughts about him were interrupted by the boy himself. 'I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't stare.' He suprised me. 'Not to be rude, but.. well, I thought you were blind.' I responded. He turned around and began walking toward the wall. He stopped about two feet away from the corner of the room and began pulling his shirt over the top of his head. 'I am.' I heard him say, only slightly muffled by the light blue cloth."

"What? Are you making this up?" He said with scrutiny undertoning his voice.

"Would you just listen?" I asked, sounding more annoyed than I really was. I waited for a response, when none came, I continued.

"'Then how can you-' 'See?' he finished my sentence as he began untying his hospital shorts. 'Well... yeah.' He pulled the shorts off of his legs to reveal a pair of small, green, aerodynamic, gym shorts with a gold-colored rope tied just below his waist. He turned to face me once again and I saw that he had a very girlish figure to match his face. He leaned back against the wall and pulled the white socks off to reveal white feet, with large claws at the end of each toe."

"Claws? Like mine?" He lifted his foot from the floor to reveal that the quick turn-around had allowed tallons covered in crystals to rip through the fabric. The looking almost exactly like his hands... except more... feet-ish.

"Not exactly," I lifted up my own uncovered foot to show my recently-clipped nails. He sighed and lowered his head, "but they were much much pointier than mine. So, yeah, they're kinda like yours."

He perked up almost immediately, I smiled at the fact that he knew he wasn't alone in all aspects. He had Tobi... sort of. And I guess he had me, that thought particularly held my interest untill he reminded me that I had a most curious story to continue.

"Come on, I wanna know how you ended up here." He jostled where he sat, shifting his weight from leg to leg.

"Alright, umm... he had claws!", I remembered where I was in the story and continued, "I continued to look at him. I tried to read him, you know... what I did to you? To _really_ look at him... from inside, too."

Dark nodded and raised his index claw to speak. He quickly closed his mouth and waited for me to continue.

"I didn't see much before he flipped out and crouched into a feral position. I saw his claws dig into the floor as he began to spit and snarl, much like I did earlier. He snapped his head from side to side, looking for his attacker. I withdrew my mind the moment it registered what he was doing." Dark leaned forward in anticipation, he seemed to enjoy the show of distress I told him, "He continued this behavior for a while untill I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He stopped, probably due to the shock of my cold hand against his skin. 'What just happened?' he asked, I heared his voice crack. He was obviously petrefied."

"How scared?" Dark asked, a rather childish tone undermined his generally adult manner.

"If he were any younger, I'd say he should have wet his shorts." He eyes showed a faint laugh, hidden behing his commonly morbid expression. The smile reached past his guard and began to spread across his face, he drew it back before I could say anything.

"I tried to explain to him what I''d done, but he couldn't understand. And then I grabbed the spoon from my oatmeal I'd eaten that morning. I held it in my hand menacingly as I stared him down..."


	4. Fooled

"OH my god!" The tone in his his voice would have made me think of someone jumping back in terror. But, alas, that evil smile of his never truly broke.

I busted up laughing, harder than I had in... _I've never laughed this hard_. It was hilarious, not only in the deliciously macabre taste those words left in my mouth, but his eyes. His eyes opened up a little, I could see in the toxicly green slitted eyes, that he _actually_ believed me.

I rolled onto my back, holding my sides.

I opened my eyes just in time to see him gracefully pull himself up off the floor to stand in a position that glowed embarassment.

Most people would probably see more defiance or annoyance in that posture, but the way he tilted his head and closed his eyes and crossed his arms across the fluffy chest, it was absolutely adorable... somehow.

The moment I saw that graceful glide, I stopped laughing. My jaw practically hit the floor, I'd never seen anyone move so gracefully.

"Can I help you?" he turned his head slightly towards me and opened his eyes the slightest bit.

"It's just... nothing." A rock hit my stomach when I lied to him, it felt so weird. I'd lied about emotions my entire life, why should this be any different?

As much as I didn't understand my feelings at the moment, I couldn't but feel one more thing at the moment, pitty for him. He'd gotten so involved in the story, like he was there. And when I told him that one part, it was like he was... like he was going _crazy_. I used the word unwillingly, I may be the only one who use that word in a sense that meant further than your typical 'insane'.

"You wretched little..." Dark paused, I leaned forward an inch, "... beast." He said, a look of bewildering suprise slapped his face and stuck there, like he was suprised by my actions. "I didn't think you could do it."

"Do what?" I asked, not understanding what he meant by 'it'.

"I really didn't think you could." He rubbed his chin with a baby blue claw, gently, but evilly.

"Could what!?" I still couldn't understand. _What is he talking about!?_

"How did you do it?" He leaned closer to me, his face only about 5 inches from mine.

"Do _WHAT!?_" I threw my arms down to my sides, knuckles hitting the floor.

"You fooled me, my dear Tahneth." I stared at him dumbley as he narrowed his eyes, "You absolutely, genuinely _fooled_ me. _Me_, you fooled _me_." He was astonished by this feat of miraculous wonder.

"Has that... not happened before?"

His face tilted a little closer to mine as he grabbed my arms above the elbow and gently shook them, "Of course no-"

At that very moment, his eyes clenched shut, is back arched, muzzle burrying itself in the grey fur that spurred in the middle of his chest. I would have thought, if I'd had time to think at that moment, that he would release his grip on my arms, thrashing backwards. But he didn't, while he fought his inner battle, his grip on my arms tightened. It wasn't sudden, like his attack on my mind, so I didn't howl.

The sudden tumult behind the metal door caught my attention. I focused hard on the sound, not letting the pain in my arms interfere. I expected to hear and see the door jutting open, nurses and the like rushing in to detach the 'rabid' animal from my body and take him down to the medical wing, but I didn't. None of that happened, the noise rushed by.

I faintly heard a panicked voice over the intercom, "All availible staff to Wing H, we have an emergency. Patient number 327 has escaped his room, he is held here on account of seven murders. ALL AVAILIBLE STAFF TO WING H, WING H, ALL STAFF TO WING H!!" The voice was that of a woman, I recognized her from my first days here, she had yard duty occasionally.

The echo of the rushed announcement died, and I was brought back to my room. The one with the pained wolf and the mysterious... Dark.

I now felt free to scream, knowing that no one would come to seperate us, and I did. A short while after I began my yelling, I looked down at Dark, to see that beads of tears were forming. Both in my eyes, and at the blue corners of his. I, then, looked at the blue shards of claws holding on to my upper arms, to see that a small amount of blood started to trickled through my shiny white fur. At this sight I grabbed his shoulders, not to pry him off, but to calm him down, he was the last thing I had left, I couldn't let anything happen to him.

Especially not now.


	5. Not Dark

After two lungfulls of screams, and a few boughts of his, the pain stopped abrubtly. I looked at Dark to see, not Dark, but the terrified thing that once huddled in a corner, whimpering and staring blankly past everything.

Big, pale red eyes stared at me. No longer slitted, and ungiving of black pupils. His muzzle was less fluffy, but still sticking out every which way. His grey face was streaked with tears, whether Dark's or his, I did not know.

"D-Dark?" I asked, stammering slightly.

"DARK?" He shook his head violently, pulling away from me, searching the room for something. "WHERE'S DARK? IS HE HERE? HE CAN'T BE HERE, HE CAN'T!!" He pulled harder, wanting to get away from me, _or Dark_.

"But, your Dark, aren't you?" I had no trouble keeping my grasp on him, he was much weaker than the Dark I'd spoken to.

"NO! I'm not Dark, I can't be Dark! Rouge and Shadow said that Dark isn't real, he isn't real!" He half-yelled, a crazed look touching his eyes, "Rouge!? Shadow!? Where are Rouge and Shadow!?" He grabbed my shoulders, now, staring into my eyes. He thrashed harder now, and I finally found it hard to control, I put a little more force in my grip. This called for more blood to be rushed down to the muscles in my arms, and the small blood flow leading from the puncture wounds two inches below my shoulder moved a little faster.

"Look," I used the inside of my elbow to redirect his face so that he looked directly at me, "Rouge and Shadow aren't here. I don't where they are, but I'm sure they're fine. You are not Dark, you are you." I said, motherly instincts taking over.

He stared at me blankly for a short moment, then fell forward into my arms and wept, moving his arms from my shoulders so that they were wrapped around me in a warm embrace.

This felt weird for a moment, but then I couldn't help it. My instincts took over again and I brought my arms around him in a... _hug_. The force of his cold head on my wound made the bleeding stop quickly, a small amount of blood staining the side of his face.

"It's alright, everything's okay." I whispered, rocking lightly back and forth, my head resting on his so that the words went directly to his ears, leaving no air untouched by my voice.

He whimpered something that I couldn't here, his words muffled by my shirt and the tears that flowed steadily down his cheeks.

--

I must have drifted off to sleep, holding the little... not-Dark.

When I woke, he was still sleeping, more peacefully than I would have expected, and the blood had been mopped up. I moved my arm slightly to check my wound, it was taped over with gauze. I tilted my head so that I could see the door, by the wall, on that side of the room, a tray held _two_ bowls of oatmeal and _two_ spoons.

_Guess this innocent hugging scene played in my favor._

Also near the door, a wrinkled blanket and pillow that had been layed out neatly and then shoved aside, probably in favor of something else. I finally stopped to examine where I was, not just my surroundings. The dark blue thing was curled up close to me, hand grabbing my shirt loosely, half covered by a blanket.

Much to my dismay, the blanket covered me, too. And under my head was a pillow, much like the one in the corner by the door.

My best guess is that after the chaos from the homicidle escapee, a nurse came to check on us and saw me half curled around the blue thing. This cute scene prompted her to bring us the 'soft linens', as the tag said, leaving me where I was, and laying out his bed on the other side of the room. The nurse moved him over to the makeshift 'bed' and covered him with the blanket. Then he realized he was away from... his _comfort_, me, and quickly moved to where I was. Then he fell back to sleep.

And all this happened while I was asleep... _bummer_.

My stomach shouted complaints at me, normally I would have had me nutrition shot by now, but instead there was oatmeal. _One bowl for not-Dark, and... one for me_. I wasn't used to getting food. My stomach moaned again, this time its protests were loud enought to wake the dark blue thing.

He lifted his head slightly, mumbling and rubbing his eyes. He sat up, lifting his body off mine. Before he could lay back down, I moved and grabbed the tray.

As I pulled back, sitting on the pillow, he grabbed the blanket pulling it around his shoulders, like he was just sick home from school, not in the wacky-shack. He leaned past me, too tired to acknowledge my presense, and picked up the oatmeal and spoon, nearly knocking over my bowl.

He jabbed his spoon into the gloppy breakfast before actually scooping some into his mouth. He cringed at first, _guess the consistency's nasty_.

I tried it myself and found that I was distugsted by the slop, but I was also unhappy with the pain on my stomach, so I 'bit my tongue' (so to speak) and ate it.

He did the same thing.

"So... hi?" I said, after we'd both eaten our 'meals'.

"S-sorry for what happened yesterday, I uh... I don't normaly cry that much." He said, shyly looking up from under the blanket, which he had placed over his head upon completion of his breakfast.

"It's okay, D-... what do I call you?" I tilted my head at the blue thing in question.

"Mephiles... Mephiles the Hedgehog." He said triumphantly, although why, I had no idea.

"So... why _were_ you crying?" I turned my body so that I had one knee and thigh on the ground, with my hand resting on the other, which stood nearly straight.

"It's a long story, having to do with Dar-" He stopped, reluctant to say the name, "The _thing_ you spoke with last night, nice job tricker him, though. I swear, he just about cryed from joy, then embarresment. I wish you coulda' seen him in here." He ended, landing his right fingure offset to the middle of his forehead.

"_Here?_" I asked, not understanding what he meant. _Must be in here on account of that multiple personality disorder. But... he seems to hate Dark, and be fully aware of him. But if he _does_ have such a disorder, that would mean he is the dominent personality, but he doesn't have the mental strength Dark has._ From that point on, Dark and Mephiles were two different peopple to me. Not two personalities in one body, as classified by the disorder, but two seperate people who just so happened to never be _availible_ at the same time.

"Oh, right. I'm used to being around people who know the _whole_ story." He inhaled, obviously preparing to make this as quick and painless as possible, "Dark is who I used to be and sometimes he takes over my body causing me to stay in my mind and fight him while he remains cold and emotionless on the outside but he could be in pain from an attack I tried to use on him but it never works 'caus **he's stronger than me**. So much... **stronger**." He finished the not-so-long storytelling with a quiet resignation, and on that that word, stronger, a small tear expanded across his bottom eyelid.

"Oh, " I said, not sure what else to say. I'd recovered from my sleepiness and gathered up strength to read him, _what if he's as strong as Dark in that one way? He isn't strong in any other way... other than emotional. He excells far past Dark in that department._

"_Ow-"_ He inhaled sharply through his teeth, _could it be Dark... knowing my plans?_ That possibilty never quite startled me, so much as proved a mental point I'd made, _he _has_ shared a mind before._

"Him?" I said, afraid that saying the name might flick a switch somehere.

Mephiles responded only with another sharp breath drawn through his little white teeth. He didn't notice me, I could tell without looking through his emotions, or the rest of his mind.

I, myself, inhaled quickly, preparing for whatever I might find or encounter.

I clenched my eyes shut, and drove my drill through the thin sheild he tried to block me with.

_Ready?_ I asked myself, _Ready,_ a response _I_ hadn't made.


	6. Betrayal?

Alrighty, this is the real Chapter 6. The Halloween version of Chapter 6 can be found at my deviantart account- Uruseirox. Thank you for waiting patiently for the next chapter, I've had to do a lot of things and I had other things that had to be done, so the release of this chapter had to be postponed.

* * *

The voice didn't startle me, as it would anyone alse. But it didn't confirm anything like with Dark and Mephiles. It _did _spark a flame, and that flickering light shines now.

I would have paid more attention to it, I should have, but I was a bit preoccupied.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a very large room, except that it didn't exactly have a floor or ceiling... or walls for that matter. In fact, it was much more of an abyss. I continues to contimplate the possibilty of where such an endless void could be, but a voice soon interrupted my thoughts.

"Hello, Tahneth." It sounded like Dark. I turned to face him, twisting my body awkwardly so that if it wasn't Dark or Mephiles, I could easily turn back around and attempt to find an escape route. I was relieved to find that it _was_ Dark, not Mephiles. I recognized him by his devilish grin and bright red eyes. I felt my face soften the moment I saw him.

Right at that moment, the room became much hotter and Mephiles spoke up. Mephiles, who was, at the moment, directly to Dark's right... and a few feet away, dropped his head and his ears fell slightly. "Tahneth, you met him first... didn't you?" Apparently this held a much deeper meaning, one that even I couldn't see yet.

"Whether she met me first or not, _Mephiles_, she still likes _me_ better. Isn't that right... _Tahneth_?" He used a snake-like emphasis to bring Mephiles closer to the edge of rage. Mephiles clenched his hands and pressed his fingers so closely to his palm that I could see his fingers turning white from two, or so, yards away.

A small tear fell from each of Mephiles' eyes. I saw them leave a dark stain on his chest fur. I felt so sorry for Mephiles, at least, I _wanted _to. Now I understood, Mephiles and Dark have great influential power over whoever they meet. Mephiles interrupted my thoughts, somehow knowing I scrambled th puzzle peices together, "If the person meets _me _first, they will generally become understanding in my journey and try to use my experience to better their lives and those of the people around them. But if they met Dark first.... I guess I still have to find out, but I don't think it's good. And whatever happens to those who meet Dark first... is going to happen to _you_, Tahneth."

He lifted his head and mouthed the word "_sorry_" and his eyes seem to fill to the brim with sorrow. At that point, I still didn't fully understand the measure of what I'd done, by befriending Dark, and entering their mind.

_**Middle Of The Chapter Author's Note - I would have liked to either stop the chapter here or have included this in the previous chapter... but I can't and I couldn't so I won't... sorry if the rest is a little crappily done.**_

Mephiles fell to the ground... sort of.

I ran to help him, but Dark stood in front of me. I didn't have time to stop, so I ran into him.

As I wobbled back and forth, tottering forward, Dark grabbed my wrists and pulled me up. I was on my feet, but he didn't let go. Instead, he turned so that Mephiles could see me. I whimpered, bad move.

"You hear that, Mephy-boy? The little wolf is scared. Will you help the scared little wolf Mephy?" Dark said, shaking my wrists just enough to knock me off my balance. I landed flat on the ground, a few feet from Mephiles. I didn't bother trying to stand, because Dark then leaned forward and grabbed my hand. His face was close enough to mine that when he whispered, I could hear him and Mephiles could not. "You have two choices, little wolf. You can..." He raised his voice so Mephiles could hear, "Side with me and hurt Mephiles oh so deeply, " He lowered his voice again, "Or you can side with him, and have no effect on me. What will it be, defenseless little wolf?"

"I-I, " I couldn't decide, there had to be a catch. _If I take Mephiles' side, will he hurt him? Will he let him go if I don't?_

"Hurry and decide, the clock could be ticking away a life." He grinned, he was so ruthlessly evil, but I liked him for it. And for that, I hated myself.

"I'll- I won't defend Mephiles." I said quietly. I was hoping Mephiles couldn't hear.

"Louder please, I don't think _he_ heard you." He knew what I was trying to do.

"I said I'll take your side, I won't defend Mephiles." I could hear myself choke on the words that hurt Mephiles so much.

Dark finally lifted me off the 'ground' and placed me in front of him, letting go of my hand. He placed one crystal hand on each of my shoulders, I would have cringed, but I couldn't, because of the sudden weakness I felt.

He pulled me back to his chest and my eyes began to sting with tears. "Isn't that wonderful, Mephy-boy? Your sweeetheart has chosen _me_... Over you. Doesn't that sting? Hmm, Mephy-boy? _Doesn't it?_" I bit my lip to keep from pulling away and attacking Dark.

Mephiles had managed to remain silent through the beating, but he couldn't keep it all inside, "Tahneth-Tahneth how could you? That-that _monster_ gave you the chance to hurt me and you took it. He probably told you to fake the tears and the voice to trick me. I thought you cared about me, I thought we were friends. But you staged this all to hurt me, how could you, Tahneth?" Mephiles wiped away small beads of tears that had begun to betray his anger.

"Yes, Tahneth." Dark had changed his tone so that it resembled that of an innocent child, "How could you? You hurt your 'friend' Mephiles, you hurt him real bad. I don't think he wants to be your friend anymore, Tahneth." He widened his eyes and stuck out his bottom lip to extend the innocence.

I dropped my head as I was washed over with anger, at Dark and myself, happiness, for the fact that Dark would not hurt Mephiles, and exaustion for some inexplicable reason. It felt like I left my body and a sudden power surged into it. I looked through my eyes at the sad excuse for a demon, Dark, and the weeping ball of anger that was now Mephiles.

Suddenly, I found myself in yet, another, room. This one was not devoid of materials, as Mephiles's and Dark's, on one wall were TVs, stacked on top of eachother. On each of the screens played different scenes of my life, nearly all of them were my more terrified moments. Most of the frames around the screens were black but for two. One in the bottom corner was smaller than the rest which were a standard 20 inches high. This one was only about 15 inches, but it's gold frame outstood the rest, this one played, mostly, parts of her childhood.

I watched my brother running through a field, the image shaking up and down as I remembered that day, we were racing. I delved a little further into that memory but was interupted when the screen changed. Now it played the moment I first spoke to Mephiles, _I was very happy_. It changed again, but this time it played a memory that I could not explain, when I first befriended Dark. _How? Did that make me happy? What's wrong with me?_

I turned to examine the other TV that stood out amid the others. On a seperate wall, a large white-framed TV covered a large percentage of the wall. In this screen I saw Mephiles's mind, the same image I saw just a moment ago.

The look on Dark's face changed from mockery to... _what was that? _His eyes widened and I thought I saw fear for a moment. I had no more time to examine his face because he twisted out of the way of a clawed white paw that flew through the air. _My paw? But... I didn't move... at all._

Then, a small jet of flame set to the task of crisping Dark engulfed his pale blue foot. I half expected him to roll around and try to put it out, but he simply stood and shook his foot a short while, extinguishing the flames.

"Do you want me to kill you, you obnoxious brat? I told you I would hurt the weakling if you didn't fight! Should I go ahead and hurt him, then? Is that what you're trying to do?", He continued blathering on about betraying both him and Mephiles and how he'd hurt Mephiles if I didn't stop.

The view from the TV screen focused on Mephiles and blurred out Dark. I watched as Mephiles put together the piece of the events that had just transpired and the anger drained from his face, leaving nothing but a flickering hint of a smile.

Whatever was controlling my body turned its attention, once again, to Dark. He ended his lengthy statement with a "Hmm?" and stared at me... sort of.

"Is that any way to greet your brother, Dark?" A voice boomed in my mind and from the TV's speakers. Whatever was controlling me knew Dark, and was... his... his _brother_.


	7. Chapter 7

I stared at the white wolf in disbelief, "Ib-Ib-Iblis?", I spluttered.

"Of course, dear brother. Who else would it be?", he mocked.

I stopped to collect my thoughts, knocked off balance by the sudden appearance of my long-gone brother, "What are you doing here... controlling a girl?"

"You see, my brother, when you took the black hedgehog's form, you chose the largest source of hatred and pain you could find...", he paused to accentuate the power of his words, "I waited, and waited... and waited, you spent a large amount of your time around the black hedgehog and his mate, both were too weak for me to take. And when, finally, you share your mind with this-this-," he searched his mind for a word, "this goldmine, you ask me why I chose her? Well, I guess you aren't as smart as you thought, are you iMephiles/i?"

"Don't bever/b call me that! I am not weak, like him!" I swung a pointed finger to gesture at the weakling, "I have not ever been, nor will I ever be, as spineless and meak as that insignificant little troll!" I couldn't beleive him that-that-coward! He hid all this time and he dares to call me weak, like that little Mephy-boy.

"Really, now? Then what shall I call you? Dark? Like your little girlfriend?", A shine glanced across his earthy brown-yellow eyes as he smirked.

My face grew hot, "She's not my girlfriend, if anything she's Mephy's. He made her bleed and then they held eachother as Mephy-boy here cried himself to sleep."Then the little black and blue hedgehog cleared his throat, "Eh-hem! I'm still here! Besides, Iblis has been in Tahneth's mind for at least part of this, he would know who she has feelings for and-"

"Enough!" He bellowed, "I''ve had all I can take of this argueing about such childish relationships." Tahneth's form disappeared quite suddenly, I searched the area for a while, I even looked at Mephiles, who was also looking around.

I blacked out suddenly after catching a glimpse of a paw padded with soft pink skin.

Blinking away the fuzziness in my vision, I saw that we were back in the isylum room. That insolent nurse was back, she seemed extremely calm for the behavior Tahneth typically exhibited, but who was I to judge?

The nurses body tensed as she crept towards who she thought to be Tahneth. I wondered who had control of Tahneth, Iblis was quite definetely stronger, but he may have given the girl control for some strange reason. She spoke slowly, "Tahneth, you're five months late for your physical exam, if you don't take this shot we will have to do something soon."

"Are we really, now?" Iblis asked, tilting his head and widening his eyes. Clearly he saw an oppurtunity to have a little fun, he would have been an idiot not to take it.

The nurse's body tightened and she doubled over, holding her head and screaming, "No! Stop it! STOP!..."

She continued yelling quite loudly at no one in particular for several more minutes before two male nurses ran in with a gurney, they buckled some straps over her torso and legs before they took her out of the room, locking it behind them.

"That almost wasn't fun, sad how unprotected some minds are. I think I would have enjoyed it more if that young man had called her back to make dinner plans for tonight.", He tossed his head back and laughed.

"Wha-What did you do?" I stumbled back, shocked by the pain in the nurse's voice.

"I merely... toyed with her," he laughed, twirling his fingers in what would have been an elegant gesture if it had been anyone else in any other situation, "Just like you did that cute little wolf. I just placed a few images in her mind and prodded at her painful memories, that's all."

Mephiles's eyes were rimmed with tears, "Dark? What did you do to her?"

It wasn't untill then I realized we were back in the mind Mephiles and I shared. I stared at him and smiled.

"What did you do to Tahneth?" he demanded.

"Oh this is entertaining. I have to say it's more fun to watch in person than from that girl's noisy little mind. Always playing over and over, such delightfully dreadful scenes of blood and torture. You would so enjoy it _Dark_," he spat my name as if it left an unpleasant taste in his mouth, "Wouldn't you love to watch the little wolf's life play over and over. You seem to have thought the story about the little friend of hers pleasant, though I see no value in him unless his abnormalities filter power through him... I shall have to track him down when I escape."

"Escape?" I asked, curious as to his intentions.

"You didn't think that I waited for a powerful person to enter your mind just to sit here and attack peppy little nurses, did you?"

"I guess not."

"Don't think I've forgotten, Dark. I'll find out what you did to her."

"Would you just forget the girl, she is no longer of importance," he waved a hand dissmissively, "What's important is how we get out of this little coop the institutions have been so gracious to trap us in."

"I don't know, you might be interested in seenig little Mephy-boy's reaction when I describe to him every little detail of what I did to his _precious_ Tahneth."

"Would you two just stop that! You're horrible! You think it's fun to watch someone writhe in agony over something you did! You wouldn't like it someone did it to you, so why would you do that!" I felt a sudden wave of remorse crash over me and I couldn't straighten my thoughts untill Iblis spoke again.

"Well, well, well. Just got a sudden burst of courage did you-" Iblis in Tahneth's body dropped to the floor, clutching at his or her temples.

Curled up on the floor thrashing, Iblis continued to scratch at the sides of his head untill Tahneth's hair was wet with blood.

I looked at Mephiles who was staring helplessly at Tahneth's body. I felt an urge to run and help Tahneth, but I wanted Iblis to suffer. Damn it I hated it when little Mephiles got strong emotions or urges. We seemed only to share the ones I disliked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tahneth------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, you are stronger than I thought. What is it that you interupt me for? What purpose could this conversation have?" Iblis twiddled his fingers around in the air as brushing away some imaginary dust.

"Stop."

"What ever could you mean, _little wolf_?" he teased.

"Just stop! Why would you hurt people on purpose like that? And what do you have against me?" I demanded, my tail twitching back and forth furiously.

"I think that, of _all_ people, you would understand why I hurt people. What with your brothers and sister being hospitalized... and your parents?"

"And that! Stop messing with peoples' heads! You think that just because you know a lot about someone that you can use that to hurt them. And would you please change out of my form, it disgusts that someone with my image could act in such a revolting manner!"

"I rather like this form, your muscles are well built and in wonderful condition, _but if you insist_..."

A purple mist surrounded Iblis and blocked him from my view. Anxious because of the ease with which I dissuaded him, I leaned forward in anticipation.

When the fog dissapaited, I was so shocked that I fell to my knees and the tears that had been stinging in my eyes finally began to flow ravenously down my cheeks and onto the floor of my mind, "Why? Why do you enjoy torturing me more than any other?" I fumed.

Standing there, a black wolf that was purely such, save for a small spur of white above his nose and upon his chest, he laughed, "Because, sweet little Tahneth, it is so very _easy_. With a past such as yours, sensitivity is inevitable... and so much fun to play with," he laughed again.

"But... My father? After all the life you've seen me live and destroy, my own father? The one who was closest to my own heart?" I choked back at him.

"He was the first to go. And in such a ravenous way. Tell me, my little truffle, why did you kill him?"

"Don't. Ever. Call. Me. That. Name," I clawed at the ground.

"What ever could you be talking about, truffle of my heart?"

"STOP!" I launched myself across the room and grabbed his upper arms. Pushing with all my weight, I pinned him down and dug my claws into his flesh.

"Is this how you killed him? How I envy you!" he chuckled for a third time.

I paused breifly before reinforcing my death grip by pressing my elbow to his chest. I would have loved to tell him off, but I could not find any words when he did the unthinkable.

The same purple mist swirled about him and his shape turned to my little brother, then his twin sister, then my mother, finally, my older brother. Vivid purple eys stared back at me as I gazed at Iblis in the form of my older brother, the one I nearly killed in front of my two eight-year-old siblings.

"No! You can't trick me like that!" at that, I slammed my brother's head into the floor and a terrible pain filled my head as I returned to the asylum room. Through blurry eyes, I saw Dark and Mephiles... _Great, another mind._

"Iblis? You evil bastard, get up and fight me fairly!" Dark demanded.

"No, it's me, Tahneth," I replied.

"Tahneth?" relief filled Dark's face as he saw my red eyes.

I realized he was kneeling in front of me and I grabbed his shoulders and forced myself into his arms, though he protested rather loudly. When I looked up at him, he must have seen my tear-stained face because he no longer refused my hug, though I felt Mephiles's glare burn across my back.

He probably saw Mephiles's anger and quickly pulled away from me, but before I could say anything, my face was burried in another pale grey chest.

"How could anyone do that?" I sobbed into his chest fur, "And why? Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, Tahneth. I don't know."


End file.
